The VTB United League ( Russian : Единая Лига ВТБ ) is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan . Since 2013 , it is the first tier of Russian professional club basketball. Therefore, the highest placed Russian team in the league can also be named the Russian national champions . The league is sponsored by Russian state-owned VTB Bank . In 2009 CSKA Moscow won VTB United League Promo-Cup , but this competition does not count as official VTB title. CSKA has dominated the league, having won majority of titles its existence. The VTB United League also holds a youth competition, the VTB United Youth League .
6-692: VTB United League Promo-Cup 2008 was the first test run tournament of the VTB United League . The tournament was held during the 2008–09 basketball season on 20–22 December 2008, at the CSKA Universal Sports Hall in Moscow. The tournament included 8 teams from Russia, Latvia , Lithuania , Poland and Ukraine . CSKA Moscow won the tournament by defeating Khimki Moscow Region in the final. Kyiv finished in third place by defeating Dynamo Moscow . VTB United League The first step in
12-594: The 2012–13 season, the number of teams increased to 20. The number of teams decreased to 16 for the 2014–15 season, and the teams from Lithuania and Ukraine dropped out of the league. During the 2021–22 season, ten teams were left to compete after the Polish and Estonian clubs withdrew from the league in protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine . In order for clubs to play in the VTB United League, they must have
18-642: The PBL with the VTB United League as their new national domestic league, starting with the 2013-14 season. The VTB United League was recognized by FIBA Europe in September 2013. The league was then officially recognized by FIBA World in October 2014. The league needed to be recognized by both bodies, because it contains clubs that come from countries that are part of both the European and Asian FIBA zones. The honorary head of
24-649: The VTB United League, to produce greater competition between the Russian basketball clubs. They suggested that the new league be named the Eastern European Professional Basketball League. In July 2012, the Council of VTB United League decided that the PBL league would continue for one more year, with some games of the VTB United League that took place between two Russian clubs being counted as PBL games. The first tier Russian clubs then replaced
30-595: The creation of the league was a competition named the VTB United League Promo-Cup held in Moscow in December 2009. The final of the Promo-Cup was played on December 22, 2009, and was won by CSKA Moscow , who defeated Khimki 70–66. Kyiv ended third. In May 2012, all the PBL clubs gathered to decide which format would be used for the next season, and some club's directors raised the possibility of uniting with
36-490: The league is Sergei Ivanov and its official sponsor is Pavel Vrublevsky of ChronoPay . In its inaugural 2009–10 season, the VTB United League featured clubs from Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania , Russia, and Ukraine . For the 2010–11 season, teams from Belarus, Finland , and Poland were added to the league. The 2011–12 season featured 18 teams, with new teams being added from the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan. In
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